How to Boost Your Confidence as a Plus Sized Woman
It can be tricky to build your confidence if you are a plus size woman constantly bombarded by images of size 0 social media influencers and fashion models as the standard to which we should all aspire. But images of other people’s bodies should not be a reason for the plus size woman to lose self esteem. Size does not determine beauty and every body is beautiful regardless of its shape, weight, color, age, or gender.
If you struggle with self confidence because you have fallen into the social media comparison trap, you are not alone. It can happen to anyone and probably has happened to most of us. Fortunately, there are a variety of confidence boosting tricks to help you learn how to be proud of the body you were given and strut your gorgeous self down the street with your head held high. If you are ready to embrace all the beautiful curves of your body, try taking these few simple actions and you will be on your way to recognizing and appreciating your own inherent beauty.
Choose the right clothing.
The first course of action to loving your body is to stop hiding it beneath piles of lifeless clothing and start shopping in dedicated plus size fashion stores where the clothing is designed to maximize and highlight the beauty of your curves rather than hide them.
Choosing the right clothing for your figure can have an enormous impact on self confidence because if you look good it generally follows that you will feel good. And if you feel good in the clothing you are wearing, that certainly contributes to your overall appearance as well. After all, self confidence is one of the best accessories any of us can wear. And there are retailers who happily cater to the plus size market offering stylish lines that are just as fabulous as the non-plus size stores offer.
Brands like Paisley Grace Boutique offer gorgeous designs that were made specifically for plus size women which eliminates the frustration of not finding a size that fits you. Nothing can destroy your self esteem quicker than walking into a clothing store with super cute items and finding that the largest available size is three sizes too small for your body.
If you have been stuck in a rut of shopping discontentedly at the same clothing brands and retailers for years, there is also a great benefit to stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new. Many women are hesitant to shop in plus size stores because the label itself is rather discouraging. But when you put clothes on your body that are the correct size for your body, it makes a world of difference in your appearance and your self confidence. If the number on the size tag bothers you, I always recommend cutting it out so you don’t have to see it but still wear the correct size because no one looks good in clothing that is too small or too big…not even size 0 women. And nobody else needs to know the number on your size tag except you.
Also you are not required to buy anything new when you go shopping. But it might be helpful to at least go try on something new…new styles and new sizes for new self confidence. At the end of the day, the only person who really needs to love your clothes is you. So forget about what you see on social media and focus on the beauty that you see in the mirror in front of you.
Choose the right people to follow on social media.
Is your social media feed filled with famous faces who are widely known for their thin frames or social media influencers boasting about the latest diet trend that helps them stay in their coveted size 0? If so, this could certainly be contributing to low levels of self confidence. Curating your social media to a more body positive and accepting collective of empowering women in all sizes can really have a drastic impact on the psychological effects of what you view on social media. Look for plus size influencers who dedicate their work to the ideal of self love instead of the ideal of size 0.
In the world of social media, you can find countless pages and profiles that will provide you with inspiring and uplifting content rather than useless ‘skinny tea’ advertisements and home gym selfies. You have the power to control what you see and don’t see on social media, so use that power to your own benefit and create a positive environment for yourself when you go scrolling.
If you think social media is having a negative impact on your self esteem, there is no better time than now to make some changes. Take the time to find the influencers who will make you feel good about yourself and follow along with them. But if you want to go one step further for a dramatic improvement to your mental well-being and self esteem, then you may want to delete your profiles altogether. Because even in the piles of positivity that can be found on social media, it is difficult to entirely escape the negative culture that social media breeds. If you are unable to ignore the negativity, the best course of action may be to remove yourself from it completely.
If you can implement these few easy tips, wearing clothing that fits properly and highlights all of your body’s best attributes and eliminating the body negativity in your social media feed, boosting your confidence as a plus size woman will become so much easier. Remember that positive messages are just as contagious as negative ones. So embrace the positive ones and fall in love with yourself and the beautiful body you were given. Appreciate it for what it is right now, at this size and shape, and celebrate it with pride.
Do you struggle with self confidence? What kinds of things help you to maintain a positive and healthy attitude about yourself and your body?
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress-Torrid / Duster-Kohl’s / Rope Sandals-Nomadic State of Mind / Necklace and Earrings-Old
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
14 Comments
Michelle
Excellent, excellent post! I’ve been considering writing a similar post for a few weeks now, but didn’t get to it yet. I’ll put it on the back burner for awhile since you just beautifully covered the topic. Oh, and I love your outfit! The dress is so cute and the coral is such a lovely a color on you.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Michelle! This dress is super comfortable, too. Like a jammie dress! I actually didn’t think it even looked that great on me in the mirror, but I was happy with the photos! I look forward to reading your words on the topic when you get around to writing it! I hope you are enjoying the long holiday weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Rachael
This is such a helpful and positive post! I definitely feel like it’s been a journey of self-love for me to feel confident as a plus size woman and I’m not totally there. But, you’re right that the right clothes make a huge difference! Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Rachael, thanks so much for your kind words and sharing your self-love journey. Why the heck does it take us a lifetime to get there? I am happy that you are making your way there…we are all a work in progress and we need to be patient and caring with ourselves…and cute clothes never hurt! Haha. I hope you have a fabulous week ahead!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lisa notes
That outfit is so lovely on you, Shelbee! I’ve been working the past year especially to stop talking negatively about my body. My body has done so much for me my entire life and it deserves better press. 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement to accept ourselves as we are!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lisa! That shift in perspective really helped me to love and respect and appreciate my body more. Once I was able to be grateful for my body and all the things that it has accomplished, I was able to just love it unconditionally. This also led to caring for it better as well and the result is that I am healthier than I have ever been. I am so glad that you are accepting and loving your body more, too.
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Such a nice and imporant post. Thanks for sharing it with us. Your words are so very true.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Patrick! I really appreciate that.
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
This is a wonderfully written article, Shelbee. Thanks for sharing!!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so very much, Marsha! I really appreciate that, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
The vicious cycle of insidious social comparison is all too real! In some ways, I have more confidence now than I did when a size 8 because I have completely stopped comparing myself to straight sized women…which in practice meant the size 0 crowd.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
It really is, Sally! And such a frustrating cycle, too. I also have much more confidence now in my 40s weighing 50-60 pounds more than I did in my 20s. But even in my 20s, I always felt so much bigger than the size 0 crowd! I remember thinking to myself if someone wears a size 2 and I wear size 8, does that mean I am 4 times bigger than they are? What about the size 0s? Am I just infinitely larger than them? Sheesh, that’s large. And that is how my brain went for years until I realized the numbers on the scale and the clothing tags are not indicative of our worth and value and beauty.
xoxo
Shelbee
mireille
Good tips: I have had to curate the accounts I followed on social media some because they were taking some of my joy away: if I am going to spend time on there, I should be uplifting.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Mireille! Oh I agree with you completely, if social media is not bringing you joy, then definitely something needs to change! I don’t do much scrolling because I can’t escape the irritating things I see and it would take way too long to clean up who I follow. So I just post my things and limit the rest of my exposure to it all!
xoxo
Shelbee